


A Little Bit of Wandering

by Tsami



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types, Original Work
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2018-12-28
Packaged: 2019-09-29 00:04:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17192732
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tsami/pseuds/Tsami
Summary: A bard enchants a local tavern as she reminisces about her past.





	A Little Bit of Wandering

“Humans like to use the phrase Blind as a bat. Now, not only is this phrase a little rude, it's also fundamentally untrue! We have just as good as eyesight as them, we just tend to rely on our ears more, It helps when flying at night. You jump down from your house, gliding through the trees that appear before you without color, and you weave through the monochrome world.”

Chiipu was charming the table, revealing just enough to keep their attention but not enough to ruin the suspense. Her tone was engaging, bouncing the words off of her pointed tongue and casting them at the crowd with the appropriate emphasis. 

She sat in the far corner of the bar, nestled at a table near the fireplace. The russet bricks absorbed the warmth of the flickering embers, and radiated it with a soft glow, an undercurrent below the sharp heat of the flames. 

Crowds made sense to her. People liked to agree with other people, and you can read the reactions of the entire group just by listening to them, by seeing how they lean forward in anticipation or recoil from words. Chiipu knew this, and that's why she could tell stories. One on one, people were too complicated. You never knew what they liked or what to avoid, and the level of intimacy made everything sticky, your mistakes became a sap that would refuse to come out.

On a stage, whether physical or created by a good story, there were rules. People knew what to expect from you, and you know your responsibility. You entertain. And people were always entertained by the new, the unique.

“Speaking of where I come from, Cloudtower has some of the most reclusive characters you’d ever met. I’m one of the few who ever left, but not because we’re not allowed. Most of us batfolk just prefer to mind our own business, that's all” Chiipu laughed. “My mother is the oddball of the town, as she is a retired adventurer herself. Chirimi was the most feared (and probably only) batfolk fighter around, and she made enough to live happily, as most adventures do”. She winked at the human near the bar, and he self consciously thumbed the hilt of his sword. 

Chiipu didn’t include the part where her mother’s adventuring funds had fallen a little low towards the end of her stay in Cloudtower. Her father said that they would be fine with his business, but chiipu wasn’t so sure. The town was small, and not that many people were in constant need of a tailor. 

“Mama?” a young Chiipu yawned as she tottered across the floor of her childhood home, reaching out her leathery wings to shake the last dream out of them for the day. The wooden home, nested solidly in a towering cedar, had the smell of pine wafting from the oven, mixing with the damp weather seeping through the windows. There were small plants hanging off of most surfaces, and small sculptures and interesting rocks nestled between them. Her mother sat at the table, letting the coffee fumes drift their way up past her drooping ears. 

“Is that the quickest way for caffeine to get to the system, mother?” Chiipu teased, but she frowned when she joined her at the rickety table which threatened to collapse. “We should really have Uchimu take a look at this soon, or we’ll have breakfast on the floor”

“I can fix it” Chirimi objected, her ears snapping up. “I travelled with a master carpenter once you know” 

“Of course, mom, you just seem so busy” 

Chirimi snorted. “Busy is the last word I’d use. I’m a mushroom.”

Chiipu patted her mother’s arm. “Maybe, but a lovely mushroom.”

“What's this about mushrooms? Was Chirimi going to make breakfast for once?” Chiipu’s dad, Echun, had just gotten home, wings full of miscellaneous veggies and seeds. 

“Oh, dear, don’t you start. I know for a fact you already started, I could smell those nuts roasting as soon as I woke up” Chirimi purred, setting her coffee down and moving to help Echun with the groceries. “Besides, the last time I made the june bugs even I wouldn’t eat them”

Both Chiipu and Echun knew where this was going.

“And I’ll eat anything!” all three declared in unison, father and daughter dissolving into laughter at Chirimi’s pout. “Am I that predictable?” Her shoulders slumped as she put the last of the veggies down. “

“Not really darling, we just know you” Echun cooed, moving to embrace her. She turn and accepted his nuzzles, and the two of them brushed noses for a moment.

“Now I know what you’re thinking, and yes, we do sleep upside-down” Chiipu laughed, taking a sip of her whiskey. It was a sharp wire among the rest of the smells, dulling the leather and beer wafting across the table, and overpowering the years old smell of beer. She set it down on the table.  Glass and use had sanded down the wood, transforming it from a rough oak stump into a polished plate. Chiipu noticed the divot in front of her, and thought that the tables had gained almost a flower-like shape from the sleeves of its patrons. 

“To answer your second question: we mostly eat fruits, veggies, and bugs.” Wrinkled noses ran around the table, and a couple tongues joined them. 

        “I know, crunching on creepy crawlies sound obscene to you guys, but you haven’t had them cooked right. And teeth like these?” Chiipu grinned, showing off her mouthful of sharp knives. “Are perfect for chomping down through those crispy exoskeletons.” The table was officially grossed out now. Good Chiipu smirked. After all, people always love the bizarre. 

        That's part of the reason why the batfolk didn’t like visitors, and tried to keep their home hidden. That, and they were very shy, and creatures of habit. Things were easier when everyone knew what to expect, and the forest home was perfect for that. They were safe amongst the trees, with massive trunks to hide them and the treetops letting in only sunlight. 

        Safe and boring, as Chirimi said. 

        “Mom,” Chiipu began as she was climbing up into the raftors for the night, “Why did you leave home?”

        “Oh, pup. I had to. I had to know.” Chirimi murmured, “Don't you ever wonder what is out there? Past the forest? Aren’t you curious?”

        “Well I certainly don't” Before Chiipu could reply, Echun entered, feeling the soft mossy floor beneath his feet. “Out there are dragons and warlocks and all sorts of unpleasant things” the warm floor wasn’t enough to stifle the shutter running up his spine. “It’s much too dangerous. I’m just lucky your mother came to her senses and came back home” 

        “I didn’t come to anything, Echun. My senses are just fine. I loved my time out there, and I may one day go back” her husbands ears dropped a little, and he pursed his lips. 

        “What is out there?” Chiipu’s little voice piped up, “Is it really goblins and dragons and bandits?” the quiver in her voice betrayed her, though she tried to sound brave. 

        “Yes, my dear, there are all of those. But also faeries and witches and kind people. Even some dragons are terribly nice, and they can tell you secrets that no mortal has known for a hundred years. There are cities that sparkle like the stars, crystal pools sparkling with gemstones, and people who look nothing like you and I, who don't have wings or big ears” Chirimi wiggled her daughters ears and a giggle escaped both of their chests. “But those people are just as kind and like many of the same things we do, and I never would have met any of them without leaving here”

        “Can we not fill our daughter’s mind with fantasies?” Echun’s tone cut, bringing them all back into the wooden bedroom. He caught himself and took a steady breath, noticing the steel in his voice. He remembered why he was scared, and brought warmth back into his tone. “It’s bedtime here in Cloudtower, and little bats need their sleep. We don't want any nightmares about bandits tonight” 

        “Yes, you're right, dear. Bandits do not make for restful dreams” Chirimi let Chiipu crawl up to bed, and then she nuzzled her, scratching her head, then moved so Echun could do the same. He gave extra affection that night, spending several moments scratching behind Chiipu’s ears, making her hum with joy. 

“I love you, my pup” He cooed, kissing her on the forehead

“I love you too, dad, goodnight” 

        Chirimi smiled softly, her eyes melting as she watched the two of them. Then she turned, and the two parents walked back downstairs for the night. Chiipu hummed and brought her wings tightly against herself. The witches and faeries called to her, luring her to sleep, but she had other plans. Once she was sure her parents were gone, she climbed back down onto the floor scuttled halfway down the stairs, And she tilted her ears to her parent’s conversation.

        “I don't understand why you must put those ideas in her head, Chirimi” Echun sighed, and Chiipu heard the dining room chair groan. “You know the outside is too dangerous”

        “Danger is a part of life, Echun. I will not tell my daughter that she has to stay at home all of her life” Chirimi countered. “Leaving Cloudtower was one of the best decisions of my life, and I want Chiipu to know she has that option too”

        “What about us? What about me and Chiipu? Weren’t we important?” Echun’s voice caught, and Chirimi stopped. 

        “Oh, darling. Of course you are” Her voice was warm now, smooth honey to soothe the moment. “I said one of. You and Chiipu are the best things that have ever happened to me. I love you”

        “I know, it’s just--” Echun hesitated. “I know that was important to you, but I was so worried the entire time you were gone. I didn’t know if you would come back, and if I would even know if something happened to you. I never want to feel like that again, and--” His voice was almost inaudible. “I don't want to lose Chiipu like I almost lost you”. 

 

Chiipu took small, quiet steps the rest of the way down the stairs, until she stood in the doorway. Her voice trembled. “daddy… I'll-I'll be okay” she tried, not knowing what to say. She never had seen her dad cry before, his eyes were always crinkled, and his voice was always so warm and comforting. Chiipu's chest hurt, seeing his tears disappear into the wooden dinner table.

“If you don't want me to go, I-I won't-I won’t go, I can stay here with you daddy” she choked, the fur on her cheeks dampening from tears. “I don't wanna make you sad.”

“Chiipu, oh, honey” Chirimi faltered. 

“Pup...”  Echun breathed, reaching out to her, beckoning her forward. “I don't-I don't mean that. Not as much as I say. I’m just-.” He held Chiipu’s hands in his. “I’m scared.” the words fell out of him like stones into water. 

“I get scared too, daddy. It's okay to get scared sometimes” She stuttered, parroting what he had told her hundreds of times. 

“Even I get scared” Chirimi put her hand on Chiipu’s shoulders. “That’s part of why I left. I was tired of being scared, of hiding from my fears. I… I knew I wanted to grow, and the only way to do that was to leave my comfort zone. And, my loves, this whole town is my comfort zone. I am more comfortable here than I have ever been in any other place. Echun, you are my dearest love, my home, more than this tree will ever be. The people here, the cover of the rustling trees, it’s the place where I am most happy”

“Chiipu, it's okay if you want to stay here” she continued. “You will always have a place here, and we will always be here for you” 

“Chirimi… I never knew. I thought… I thought you just weren’t happy here” Echun chuckled “all this time, I thought I was just holding you back.”

“Oh, my love. Of course not” Chirimi started crying too, and her light sobs mixed with bubbling laughter. “To think you were thinking this the whole time”

        Chiipu wasn’t entirely sure what happened, but she was just happy to be here with them in this moment. 

Wings wrapped around them, and Chirimi’s strong embrace reminded them that they were safe. “It’s okay. It’s all going to be okay” Her eyes were closed, and her face was pressed against Echun’s. She didn’t have all the answers, but she reminded them that, for the moment, their family was together and safe. 

 

        “So, why’d ya leave?” The human across the table asked, reaching for another sip of his beer. “Seems like you had a pretty good life there, and you speak about it like you’re homesick” 

        Chiipu laughed. “My dad always said there was too much of my mom in me. I think she thought the opposite. I was terrified of most things, and I was shy with strangers. In the end though, I ended up being too curious about the rest of the world. I wanted to see the life that my mother had always told me stories about, you know?” Chiipu looked around at her companions. The human and the demonborn were bickering again, making her smile. She really never would have met characters like these in Cloudtower. 

        As she took another sip, she remembered the night she left. Her departure was both a stretch of her wings and a tumble from the sky. Her mother was exuberant, trying to fill every remaining moment with both tearful goodbyes, words of encouragement, and tips for when she ran into this obscure scenario. No matter how many times they had talked about it beforehand, Echun was always nervous and second guessing what was happening, though he tried his best to hide it. He knew that this would be good for Chiipu, but her leaving hit him the hardest. She knew he was probably worried out of his mind, no matter how many letters she wrote or how recently she had visited. Come to think of it, she thought, it is about time to go back home. At least for a little while. 

        Chiipu smiled as she watched the conversation move on, and she enjoyed the cacophony of the tavern around her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading my one-off story about my batty bard, Chiipu! 
> 
> I am currently taking commissions for pieces! Contact me for more information at   
> Tsamijen@gmail.com


End file.
